The Mash, at 29bhp, has no trouble maintaining a comfortable pace
and is a real pleasure to ride.

All is not entirely rosy in the garden, however.
The achingly fashionable minimalist mudguard on the front wheel is
utterly useless in keeping road muck off the bike and this machine
is destined for winter commuting duties. I took a look at the front
mudguard on the road-going sister model, but that seemed only
marginally larger.

So, into the Hitchcocks’ catalogue to see what’s
available for a 19 inch wheel (the Mash front wheel has the same
dimensions as the Bullet). I fitted the Hitchcocks’ stainless steel
trials mounting bracket with an unpolished alloy guard. It took a
couple of goes to get the wheel/mudguard spacing looking right, but
I’m happy with the results for road use. If I were regularly
venturing into the mud, I’d prefer at least another inch of
clearance, but it has sufficed so far. I’m sure the original stylist
is spluttering into his cappucino, but I prefer a mudguard that does
the job.

What else? The headlamp was an awesome 35/35W
tungsten item that seems to annoy the darkness rather than cutting
through it (darkness is not in short supply in winter at these
latitudes). Good lighting is a fundamental I am reluctant to relax.
On the off-chance that the little mesh stone guard fitted in front
of the headlight was stopping 30 of the available 35 watts, I
removed it. No difference in the light output, but the lens was
easier to clean (and by now I am on the stylist’s hit list, so I
have nothing to lose).

I took the headlamp apart to see if it could be
converted to a meatier halogen bulb, but no such luck – the support
for the 35/35W bulb would not accept anything else. Paul Goff, that
gentleman of Amps, lists a 5.75 inch Lucas headlamp with a standard
H4 60/55W halogen lamp. The Lucas unit slots straight into the
available space and (mostly) shares the bike’s wiring colour-code.

After I discussed this change with Dave Angel, he
recommended the Mazda Nightbreaker filament (standard H4 mounting
and connections) – he has changed his four-wheel fleet to use only
this lamp. The difference is startling, a real benefit. I was
concerned about the increased power consumption; the original lamp
would have drawn around 3 Amps on either beam. The Lucas unit draws
roughly 5 Amps. The wiring to the headlamp appears sturdy enough to
cope and is in excellent condition, of course – I’ll monitor it for
signs of distress.

Completing the lighting changes, I swapped the
taillight for a 19-LED Miller replica, just because I liked the look
and the STOP caption in case there is any ambiguity around the
bright red light.

I added a ScottOiler E-System to give the chain
an easier life. This revealed a problem with the 12V supply, as the
battery voltage was dropping below the ScottOiler’s operational
threshold upon engine starting, so the ScottOiler was re-booting at
every start, requiring all settings to be re-entered. This was
mid-January and I felt rebooted myself most mornings, requiring
re-input of a couple of coffees for continued operation, so I had to
sympathise.

Paul Goff came to the rescue once more. He listed
an absorbed glass mat battery with an astonishing power density.
This battery measures just 4.5 x 4.5 x 2.75 inches and can support a
130A load. It fitted neatly in place of the original, requiring some
wooden packing for a stable fit. The ScottOiler is now a very happy
bunny, enjoying a rock-solid 12V supply under all conditions. Engine
starting is also improved.

The Mash’s engine and gearbox are great,
requiring nothing from me but a regularly-changed supply of clean
oil (Dave Angel stated that the Honda XBR engine upon which the Mash
unit is based was likewise fussy about clean oil; bottom-end
longevity suffered if this was not observed). The oil capacity seems
ungenerous – perhaps a design area to look at in future; I would not
be surprised if overheating was an issue in warm climates.

I have noted a number of new models based around
variants of this engine in off-road-going running gear; obviously
Mash are ‘in the zone’ with this line. Some may baulk at making such
changes to a brand-new machine, but all engineering products are
compromises. The Mash developers are bringing a machine to market
within tight constraints of performance and budget. I don’t need to
live with some of the required compromises; better components are
available and will improve my enjoyment of the machine. As I’ll be
riding the Mash for many years to come, I look on these modest
changes as an investment in a market-priced machine.

By the way, the exhaust bark deserves to be
released as a Christmas chart-topper!

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